First Christmas
by Masaki-Hanabusa
Summary: Balthier hasn't celebrated Christmas since he was a child. Vaan wants that to change. BalVaan Christmas fic...I know Christmas just passed. Story is better than summary.


A/N: Sort of a part two to He Won't Know. Wanted to get this out before Christmas, but sadly its sorta just past. Hell its not even the same year! Damn my horrible work ethic. Well just go with it I guess.

Oh I don't know why, but I added Aerith just for the sake of it.

I hope you enjoy and please review. I worked my ass off with this so please give me a few reviews to bring my soul back amongst the living!

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><p>Vaan hated the snow, ever since he near froze to death in the Paramina Rift some while ago. But the snow that gently fell into the streets of Nibasse had a different feel to it than the raging blizzards. The desert boy didn't like it, but he couldn't say he hated it either. Vaan was surprised by the change a little snow brought to the usually suffocating Arcades. Everyone seemed rather cheerful and seemed almost giddy, splurging their huge amounts of gil at every shop they could reach by pushing threw the dense crowds. Vaan glanced over to Balthier, who was walking next to him.<p>

The group had returned to the Arcadian capital to buy some needed magic they had missed on their first visit and to claim their reward from a man who was in charge of the Hunt Club of the Phon Coast. Balthier had mentioned that it'd be best that it'd just be the two of them, since Vaan had insisted on going and the streets would be crowded that time of year, but the boy hadn't expected all of this. The owner was not in Central that day, given the time of year, so they decided to return to the Strahl. Unfortunatly they were having trouble getting back. The swarms of shoppers made walking difficult.

"Eh, Balthier, what's going on?" Vaan finally asked, pulling the older man to a bench so they could rest. Little red and green light strings were wrapped around a lightpost near them.

"What do you mean? It's Christmas." Balthier answered, giving him an odd look.

"What's that?"  
>"Are you serious?" Balthier looked bewildered, a rare expression Vaan noted. "They never celebrated it in Dalmasca?" Vaan shook his head.<p>

"So what is it?"

"It has something to do with the birth of some child, I don't know all the details. Never peaked my interest really. Anyway, Christmas Day people exchange gifts with friends, family, and love ones. Then there's usually feasting. Rather fun holiday in my opinion. I'm guessing the fuss means its close. Do you know what the date is."  
>"The 24th, I think. I sorta lost track," Vaan shrugged. The idea of Christmas had got him thinking. It did seem like a rather fun day, especially the feast. He gazed out at the crowd, bags of gifts in their hands and presents displayed in store windows.<p>

"Did you ever celebrate it?" he asked. Balthier nodded.

"I used to celebrate it with my family when I was a kid. As I got older, buying Christmas presents and eating fruit cake became less of a priority. I do miss it though. My elder sister would wake up early and drag me out of bed on Christmas day at some ungodly hour. We'd then get everyone up and open presents under the tree..." Balthier gave a small smile as he thought back to the time where his family still alive. Ever since the battle against Cid in the Pharos of Ridorana, Balthier had become a little more open about his life before he became the infamous sky pirate he was now. But the reality of the fact that he himself had killed his father wiped the smile off his lips. Vaan hated when those brown eyes filled with sadness. The boy had given kicking himself at his mental comments. He had realized some while ago that he had some attraction to the elder man, all starting with that one little kiss. Vaan gave a small smile and gave Balthier a small punch in the arm, doing his best to cheer him up.

"Hey, we can start now," Vaan suggested with a grin.

"Pardon?" Balthier raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not your sister or anything, but I'm sure we could at least do something. I mean like presents or something?" Vaan said, scratching his head as he wracked his brain for ideas of how to go about celebrating Christmas. Balthier gave a small chuckle.

"I don't think your the only one who doesn't know what Chirstmas is. And I think the princess would throw a fit at the idea of celebrating an Arcadian holday," Balthier laughed, imagining Ash yelling at the two of them, saying they had better things to do than spending gil on worthless things just some Arcadian tradition. He smiled though, he did appreciate the idea.

"Then it'll be just the two of us then!" Vaan stood up, putting his hands behind his head. He grinned ear to ear and turned to run off to go and find a store, but was quickly yanked back by Balthier, barely missed being mowed down by a frantic woman carrying several bags, obviously late and in a hurry. It took a minute for Vaan to realize he was against the man's chest, which was warm and had the same aroma it did back in that small cave, save for the blood. It had been a while since he had been this close to him. He wanted to stay like that forever, but he reluctantly broke away. He looked away, knowing his cheeks were bright red.

"Thanks."  
>"Don't think of it. Anyway, if your so keen on having a Christmas, let's meet up back at the Strahl in an hour or so? Since it'll be just us, we'll be in my room," Balthier said giving in. He tossed Vaan a small smack of gil. "Just don't go cheap in my gift you hear?" Vaan gave a smile and started to run off.<p>

"Ah, Vaan!" Balthier called before he left view. The desert boy spun around, his heart starting to fluttering hearing his named called by him. BAlthier paused for a second, actually looking a little embarressed.

"Thanks." Vaan's jaw near dropped off. He had never heard the pirate say anything that sounded like gratitude. His heart gave a leap. Unable to think of the right words, Vaan gave a thumbs up before running off with a bright face.

Balthier stood under the light post, the soft light blended with the red and green. He laughed a little a played with one of his rings. It had been a long time since he had celebrated Christmas with someone instead of a bottle of mahdu. The man walked out into the crowd to start his own shopping. He distinctly remembered the store his mother always bought the best cake from, he just hoped it was still there.

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><p>Vaan didn't know what he should get Balthier. From what he had seen in the pirate's room before, there didn't seem to be anything the man didn't have. He had priceless jewels and works of art that he had stole with Fran. He had assortments of liquor from near every country and so much perfume and jewelery that there seem to be nothing left to give him.<p>

The blond passed by windows and shops, all filled to the brim with shoppers. It wasn't until he spotted a small shop that he stopped. It seemed to be the only one that was empty. Pushing the door open, the bell giving a small ring, the boy walked in, brushing off the snow from his hair. To his surprise there were children sitting on the floor, dressed in rags. He hadn't noticed them from the window. Given by there appearance, they seemed like they were from Old Arcades.

"Oh a customer!" Vaan looked up from the children to see a woman in pink come from the back room with a large pot in her hand. She placed it down on the table and reached under the front desk, pulling up some bowls. "Please, take a look around and let me know if you need any help," the woman said with a kind smile, pouring soup into the bowls. She walked over to the children and distributed them out.

"Are they from Old Arcades?" Vaan asked, curious. The woman nodded, her brunette hair tied by a pink ribbon bouncing.

"Yes. The children would freeze to death if they stayed down there, so I try to help if I can. I don't want anyone to be unhappy, especially on Christmas Eve," she said with a smile, patting one of the children on the head. She stood up and walked over to Vaan. "And it looks like you want to spread some happiness yourself."

"Yeah, there's a person I know I want to make happy..." Vaan blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, heart fluttering again at the though of Balthier giving smiling at him.

"And you like this person?" She said with a knowing smile. Vaan nodded.

"I kinda forced him to celebrate Christmas this year. He hasn't celebrated since, well I don't know how long, but it has been some while. I wanted to get him something special, but he sorta has everything..." Vaan shrugged with a small blush on his cheeks. He did that a lot.

"If this special someone loves you as much as you love him, no matter what you get for him, I know he'll love," the woman smiled kindly, ruffling his hair. Vaan stared back at her shocked.

"L-love?"

"It's very obvious you love him deeply. Even if you didn't notice yourself." Vaan shook his head.

"I wouldn't say love," Vaan muttered. He admitted he had some feelings for the man, and he did think him handsome. He savored the sound of his voice when spoke. But he didn't know if he loved him. Maybe he did and didn't know it yet. He was so unsure.

"Okay, you can say that then if it makes feel better," she sighed with a shrug. She gave a small smile and handed some blankets to the children. "I hope then you can find the right gift for your not love." She giggled.

Then Vaan spotted it, a small box on one of the shelves. He walked over to it and took it into his hands, opening the small lid. Inside were a pair of dangling earrings, silver with a small light blue stone.

"The gemstones, they're called blue lace agate. Its said to bring peace and happiness to the one who wears it," the woman explained. Vaan wanted nothing more than the pirate to find the happiness he wanted. He didn't know if they actually did work, but he knew this was what he wanted to give him. He held it tight in his hand.

"Take it."

"Eh?" She put her hands over his and smiled.

"I said I want to bring happiness. If this will make you happy, take it, and make others happy." Vaan looked at her for a second then grinned ear to ear.

"Thank you!" Vaan took the box into his hand and pulled out the sack of gil Balthier had given him. The amount was more than the earrings would probably would cost. He put it into her hands.

"Use that to make the kids happy, k? Merry Christmas!" Vaan ran out, putting the box into his pocket. The woman giggled, and bent down to hug one of the children.

"That boy was weird Aerith," one of the children remarked giggling.

"He isn't weird. He's in love."

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><p>"Something happened? You are smiling more than usual," Fran asked as Balthier placed a bag onto the kitchen table, pulling out a fruit cake and cookies. The Viera raised an eyebrow. "You are celebrating Christmas?"<p>

"Vaan insisted on it," Balthier shrugged with a smile. He hated to admit it, but he was a little bit excited about it.

"No one else had commented. It will be the two of you only then?"  
>"That was the plan. Why? Are you actually interested in joining in?" The Viera shook her head.<p>

"No. I shall leave the two of you alone. I know you would rather be alone with him," Fran said with a near invisible smirk. Balthier ignored her. "You do like the boy, yes?"

"What makes you think that?" He was lying, for he did have some feelings for the Rabanstre boy, but like hell he would admit, even to his best friend.

"It is painfully obvious. Or at least to me it is," Fran said, leaning against the wall.

"Oh really?"  
>"Do not fret. I will not tell the boy, though I think he would not mind."<p>

"What do you mean?" Balthier turned back from getting out a few bottles of mahdu to his partner. Her last comment surprised him. Fran gave a sliver of a smile.

"That's for you to find out," Fran walked out from the room, grabbing herself a bottle of alcohol. He could have sworn he heard her laugh under her breath.

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><p>"Balthier? You there?" Vaan called, knocking on the sky pirates door. It was almost midnight, technically Christmas Day. Since Balthier did not like being awoken in the morning, he learned that once when the man almost blew his head off, they decided to do it then. He just hoped he hadnt fallen asleep yet.<p>

After a minute, the door open, letting Vaan slip in. Balthier closed the door behind him. To his surprised, Balthier wasn't in his usual garb. He wore a white night shirt that Vaan hadn't seen before and his leather was absent. Even his hair was messy. For once in his life, Balthier actually looked comfortable. Vaan couldn't help think he was witnessing something strange and rare.

"Quit gawking would you?" Balthier sighed, closing the door behind him.

"Sorry. I just've never seen you look like this," Vaan shrugged, sitting down on Balthier's bed. His fingers tapped against something. It was a bottle of Bhjerban mahdu. Balthier grabbed his bottle he had waiting for him on his nightstand and sat down on his bed, leaning back against the headboard. It took a minute for Vaan to feel his heart flutter.

'I'm in Balthier's bed. Well sitting but still-" Why that little fact made him feel so nervous evaded him.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Balthier said, taking a sip of his alcohol. "Your face is ridiculous." Vaan blushed.

"Nothing. Anyway, we have a few minutes left. You said there was some sort of feast?" Vaan grinned hopefully.

"Sorry, glutton. You'll have to make do with this," Balthier smirked, pulling out a plate of sliced ham and cake. "All I could manage on short notice." He shrugged, popping a bit of pork into his mouth. Vaan took a chunk of the moist cake, taking a nibble. He thought it was so delicious, but he didn't feel like eating. His stomach was filled with too many butterflies. He could feel the box inside of his pocket. Still, he did try and eat some until the hand of the clock that hung on the wall hit twelve.

"Merry Christmas," Vaan grinned, falling back onto the bed. Balthier gave a smile.

"Merry Christmas Vaan." Balthier leaned over and pulled a package from under his overextravagent bed. It was wrapped in gold paper and silver ribbon. Vaan felt a little bad that he had forgotten to wrap his. Balthier handed it to the boy, who was blushing. He wanted to savor the gift, slowly opening the paper to keep it intact, but his personality would not allow it, and soon it was in shreds on the floor.

Inside was a beautiful dagger, shiny new blade, the hilt lined with rubies. Vaan had lost his previous dagger when they battled in Ridorana and he had been attatched to it since he had had it for as long as he could remember. He would cherish this one far more. He put it back into the box and set it down next to him on the bed. He pulled out the box from his pocket and held it in his for a moment before handing over to Balthier's bejeweled one.

"Here," Vaan mummbled with a blush. Balthier opened the box, picking up one of the earrings. He gave a smile that made Vaan's heartbeat quicken.

"Its some sort of stone. Agate i think. It's supposed to bring happiness," Vaan explained, watching the stones already work their magics. Watching him smile like that, that warmth that filled his heart when he was near, Vaan could no longer deny that he was truly in love with Balthier. He wanted to say it aloud, tell the man of his feelings, like some additional Christmas gift, but he was the leading man after all. Leading men weren't supposed to fall in love, with desert orphan boys no less. So he would stay silent on those matters.

Balthier surprised Vaan though when the older man placed his hand over the boy's, intertwining his fingers in his.

"Balthi-" Balthier put his finger to Vaan's lips to silence him. Balthier leaned in so close that Vaan thought his heart would stop. He could feel the elder man's hot breath on his cheeks and see the sincerity in his chocolate eyes.

"I have another gift for you," the pirate whispered, placing his other hand softly against his cheek. Vaan was confused for a moment when he finally understood. Vaan gave a small smile. It seems all of his negative thoughts had beem shot down. Perhaps Balthier wasn't the only one who would benefit from the stones. Vaan gave a small smile as he beat Balthier to it, pressing his lips against the pirates sweetly only to be met by far more eager, hungry ones. His head was swirling when Balthier plunged his tongue into his mouth, which he willingly allowed. Clothes were quickly discarded and food and gifts were flung off the bed onto the floor.

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><p>Vaan laid in the warmth of Balthier's arms, exhausted but happy. He rested his face in the crook of the man's neck.<p>

"I love you. More than anything in the world," Vaan whispered, saying it with more his true feelings than a few minutes ago, where the words were moaned with lust and ecstasy. Balthier ran his fingers though Vaan soft hair letting a smile grace his lips.

"I love you too Vaan." He gave the boy a small kiss on the forehead.

"Merry Christmas."

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><p>AN:First, this is sooo terrible! Now that I reread it, I feel regret in writing this... With the last bit I was so flustered and spazzing out. That part made me want to cry in frustration.

I was watching xxxHolic the Abridged Movie on youtube (juliazeegreat) and what Watanuki said hurt dear. "Thank god there were two beds. I was beginning to worry that we were in someone's poorly written fanfiction. You know, the one where the two guys just have to share one bed and they they're all mleh mleh mleh mleh mleh and then they end up reciting cheesy romance lines like, 'dont you know I've always loved you?" That hurtTT_TT. I was planning on writing a fic like that. Anywhooo...

Holy crap. I had so much trouble figuring out how this would end. It was so painful! I was thinking I could add some cheesy romantic Arcadian tradition. And it was so hard to think of what Balthier would give Vaan. I had my mom's girlfriend help since my mother is an idiot with this stuff. She said one of the hoverbikes Balthier and Fran rode in on, jewelery(but Vaan was already giving that), and eyepatch, alcohol, and other stuff. In the end I chose a dagger...was that decent? I dont know. And I can't stop saying how horrid this last part is!

Wow why is this note so damn long? I have a billion other things I wanna say but I think I'll save it all for next time! Thank you and pleeeaaase review!


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